Posts By Ronald Brakels, Author & Fact-Checker At SolarQuotes

The Canberra Battery Test Centre’s 7th Report: 83% Faulty

February 3, 2020 2020-02-03T10:38:45 by 44 Comments
Solar battery test winners

Of 18 batteries tested, 7 didn’t need repair or replacement and only 3 batteries passed the testing without issue: Sony Fortelion, Samsung AIO, and Pylontech. Sony was the best performer by my reckoning.

Good news!  The Canberra Battery Test Centre have released their 7th report.  I admit I’m a little behind in reporting this because it wasn’t released this month, or last month, or even the month before that.  It came out all the way back in September.  But it’s their fault I’m so late writing about it.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

SolarQuotes’ New Retail Electricity Plan Comparison Tool Can Save You Money — It Let Me Afford Pizza

January 27, 2020 2024-06-05T14:56:34 by 50 Comments
Electricity plan comparison tool

Introducing Solarquotes New Retail Electricity Plan Comparison Tool:  It Will Pay For Pizza!

I’m paying way too much for electricity.  It’s driving me broke!  Financially I was doing okay until I told everyone I’d buy them pizza and it end up costing me $90.  How can pizza cost $90?  It’s dough, tomato sauce, ham, pineapple, and maybe some corn if you’re Japanese.  How can that be $90?  We only had four of them! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

AEMC Report — Electricity Prices To Fall Thanks To Renewable Energy

January 20, 2020 2024-01-25T09:59:57 by 24 Comments
Wind energy and solar power - AEMC

Electricity Prices To Fall Thanks To Wind And Solar Power — But Not In WA!

If you don’t live in Western Australia I have good news.  A report released on December the 9th by the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) says electricity prices will fall in all states except WA.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Electricity Prices

Solar Power And Bushfires: Safety, Shutdowns And Cleaning Off Soot

January 13, 2020 2020-01-13T14:12:16 by 16 Comments

Cleaning bushfire ash from solar panels

Lately, Australia has been having a bit of a problem with bushfires.  You may have noticed.  It’s been on the telly.  Also, there’s a good chance you’ve been spluttering on vast clouds of smoke blowing across the country.  Smoke and fine ash from the fires can travel thousands of kilometers before settling and most of us now have a fine layer of soot on our solar panels, while those nearer to fires may have a thick layer of ash. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar and the Environment

AEMO Says They Will Support A Broken Market System That Puts Lives In Danger

January 6, 2020 2020-01-06T12:17:58 by 25 Comments
AEMO 2020 Integrated System Plan

Australia’s Energy Markets Are Broken Because They Ignore Externalities

You would think the middle of a horrendous bushfire season — at a time when large areas of New South Wales were ablaze and air quality in Sydney was worse than Shanghai thanks to smoke hanging in the air like the ghost of gums before drifting out to sea — would be a bad time for the Australia Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to announce they are okay with people dying from fossil fuel use as long as someone is making money from it. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Economics Of Solar

Australia Likely To Suffer 1,000 Or More Excess Deaths From Bushfire Smoke

January 6, 2020 2020-01-07T15:18:07 by 14 Comments
Deaths from Australian bushfire smoke

Wagga Wagga yesterday. So smokey you can’t even make out a single Wagga.

According to UQ Economics Professor, John Quiggin, Australia is likely to suffer 1,000 or more excess deaths due to smoke pollution from the current disastrous bushfire season. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar and the Environment

2019 In Review — A Great Year If You Ignore Climate Disasters (Just Like Our Prime Minister)

December 30, 2019 2024-01-25T07:20:04 by 37 Comments

Australia 2019 - year in review

If you’re willing to overlook a couple of major climate disasters, Australia has been doing great this year.  We’re on fire! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar Policy

House Of Reps Report Supports Nuclear – But Only If Everyone Is Into It

December 19, 2019 2024-01-25T12:16:53 by 50 Comments
Sizewell A and B nuclear power stations

It’s not about safety – it’s about cost. Nuclear power is just too damn expensive for Australia.

Last Friday the House Of Representatives released a report on nuclear energy in Australia.  They said it’s a good idea — provided everyone is cool with it. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Economics Of Solar

Dyness Powerbox Battery: A First Look At Its Specifications & Warranty

December 16, 2019 2024-01-25T12:46:51 by 8 Comments
Dyness Powerbox Battery

The Dyness Powerbox home battery.

There’s a new battery contender in town – the Dyness Powerbox. And if you live in SA it’s eligible for South Australia’s hefty home battery subsidy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Tossing Old Solar Panels Into Landfill Is Greener Than Recycling Them

December 9, 2019 2024-12-31T13:50:44 by 40 Comments
Is solar panel recycling miscycling?

The conventional response to criticism of solar waste is panels can simply be recycled. But is that the greenest option?

Recycling is a good thing.  Most of the time.  Humans have been reusing material for thousands of years, probably beginning on a large scale when early agriculturalists noticed poo is good for plants.  Ancient Greeks didn’t let pieces of broken pottery go to waste and used them like notepaper, while my father would collect (steal?) rubber bands because a dozen were worth a few cents back in 1950. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Solar and the Environment
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